So what is the trick to getting Java Moss to attach to something??? I have had this in the tank for over a month and it has attached to nothing at all . I have had it tied to drift wood and pieces of river rock in the tank. I had to remove it to a bucket today until I can figure this out. It has been in the tank long enought that the cotton thread I had it tied down with was dissolving and I had big clumps of moss rifting around the tank.... So what is the trick to make this stuff attach?? Did I maybe have it too thick when I put it on the rocks? To thin? How should I plant this to make it work out for me? I would appreciate the help so I can get it back into the tank from the bucket....

The first thing that comes to mind for me is that you may have had too big/thick of a clump tied. You want it 'thin' enough that the moss touching the wood/rock gets light so it can grow and thus attach itself.

When I first got some I just sat in on my piece of driftwood. The edges caught on but the bulk in the center -never- did, even after over a year. (Yes, I let it sit there that long and it eventually turned into an expansive blob that I have only recently started pulling apart.)

Well I will try re-planting it tomorrow, will it attach to pretty much anything? I am thinking about holding i in place with cut up pieces of hairnet; I think I can hold it in place much easier with that then using thread again I should get more consistent coverage to hold it in place. If this does not work I am going to have alot of java moss to send to a good home, I am tired of picking it out of everything in the tank as clumps of it break off and get tangeled in everything...

It will eventually grab on to most woods. I use thread to tie it to things. The key though is too start with a thin layer as weaver said for a good grab and healthier moss. If you cant see through the moss layer to the piece you are using then its too thick to start. Once it gets going it will need trimmings to keep it healthy and the layer thin or the bottom moss will die off and float away again. My favorite moss seeding stone is lava rock. It is very coarse and porous allowing the moss to stay healthy even when its a bit thicker. Also small pieces are easy to remove from the tank to trim and rinse mulm from because they do trap debris.
One more thing... a month is not very long especially if conditions arent perfect.

At first I just took pinches of moss, squished them against the rocks, and tied down the thickest, oldest parts. The tips were left free floating. It never attached, and when the thread rotted, it all came appart.

What I did later, which took a full sunday for a couple of rocks and one piece of wood, was to lie individual pieces of moss (christmass tree like triangles) as flat as possible on the rock, and tie them down making sure the growing tips touched it. Did this until the whole rocks were covered, makin sure to minimize overlap. It is very easy if you put the moss on the rock/wood, and squirt a little water with a syringe, it will flatten itself. Keep everything moist all the time.

After only three weeks, the thread came appart. The new growth was firmly attached, so very carefully I trimmed the old unattached moss. This left the rock like 60% uncovered, but the moss is growing beautifully in very flat creeping triangular patterns.

Hope this helps.

BTW: Low light, no CO2, no fertilization shrimp tank. It only took 3 weeks, maybe in a high tech it will take less.

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